Waste and Resource Recovery

Recycling & other ways of recovering and reusing waste in the community.

The Resource Recovery Working Group was formed in 2021. Members of the group are local residents and volunteers.

  • We work towards the local adoption of innovative waste management practices to maximize recovery of resources.

  • We are motivated by the benefits which improved waste management technologies and practices would bring to our community, the local economy and to the natural environment.

  • We recognise that innovative waste management practices will meet the future needs of the region, reduce the volume of waste to landfill and save ratepayers money.

  • We explore new and emerging technologies in waste management and promote the benefits to local government, businesses, and residents.

  • We provide information which empowers people to reduce waste, recycle effectively, and adopt sustainable practices.

  • Food Organics and Green Organics (FOGO) accounts for over 40 % of the average general waste wheelie bin in the Southern Downs. Currently, this valuable resource goes to landfill
    [read more]

  • How many of us have small quantities of toxic chemicals underneath our kitchen sink, or in our garden shed or workshop? The Southern Downs currently has no scheme for residents to dispose of toxic household, garden, building or pool chemicals.
    [read more]

  • We strive to increase and improve recycling within our community. Through our own studies we have discovered what happens to the waste we discard, where it gets recycled and where it doesn’t, and how we can make practical changes to our lifestyle to “think global and act local”.
    [read more]

The Anaerobic Digester

Food Organics and Green Organics (FOGO) accounts for over 40 % of the average general waste wheelie bin in the Southern Downs. Currently, this valuable resource goes to landfill, where it produces methane and contributes to global warming. We can divert FOGO to an Anaerobic Digester and capture the resulting biogas to generate electricity, produce compost for our farmers and extend the life of the current landfill, saving ratepayers and council money and positioning the region at the forefront of innovation.

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Graphic representation of an anaerobic digester (from the US EPA).

A Safe Way to dispose of Household Chemicals

How many of us have small quantities of toxic chemicals underneath our kitchen sink, or in our garden shed or workshop? They may have been there for years, gathering dust and rusting through the tin – maybe even the labels have fallen off, or maybe they contain chemicals which have been banned because they are hazardous to our health or to our environment. 

Household chemicals

Despite being widely available in shops across the region, the Southern Downs currently has no scheme for residents to dispose of toxic household, garden, building or pool chemicals.

Poisons are not accepted in general waste bins or at any waste facilities, yet no simple or affordable means of disposal is available to residents.

Ultimately, it would be far better if we did not use toxic chemicals in our homes, but what about the ones that we already have? We desperately need a solution to enable residents to dispose of household chemicals simply and freely. We continue to lobby the Southern Downs Regional Council to implement a Household Chemical Waste Scheme so that our community, waste workers and our environment are protected.

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Waste and Recycling Education

We strive to increase and improve recycling within our community. Through our own studies we have discovered what happens to the waste we discard, where it gets recycled and where it doesn’t, and how we can make practical changes to our lifestyle to “think global and act local”. 

  • We promote the 5 Rs of the waste hierarchy: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle  to lessen our collective environmental impact.  We want to see improved education for residents to be able to make informed and environmentally conscious purchases, and for residents to be able to use the right bins when recycling.

  • We want our council to expand the range of recyclable items to include traditionally hard-to-recycle materials and keep them out of landfill. Plastic lids, soft plastics, solar panels, dental products, blister packs, clothing and shoes, and pens and markers are just some of the recycling challenges which can be kept out of landfill and recycled if we have collection facilities available. 

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